Seville, Granada & Classic Spain

Fly into Malaga, and board the coach and transfer into the sun-baked Andalusian hills and to your hotel base in Antequera. Rest and relax in the hotel and, depending on your arrival time, enjoy a first dinner in one of the town's wide range of restaurants, traditional tapas bars and cafés.

The first of your included excursions takes you to historic Seville, the great City of Flamenco, and the setting for Bizet’s Carmen and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, both of which draw heavily on the city’s heady atmosphere.

Seville, where every street is lined with orange trees, has a rich and colourful history, which is reflected in great buildings, beautiful parks, grand boulevards and atmospheric old quarters of narrow streets that open on to tree-lined squares. Wander towards sweeping Plaza de Espana, the city’s ornate, fountain-fronted centrepiece; don’t miss the magnificent Cathedral, one of the largest Gothic churches in Christendom, with its 300ft-high Giralda Tower and much-debated tomb of Christopher Columbus; and perhaps pay a visit to the immense Plaza de Toros, Spain’s oldest bullring, where the traditions of the corrida are still revered despite the controversy that surrounds them. Close by, the cool courtyards of the Moorish Alcazar lead through to the Juderia (Jewish Quarter).

The River Guadalquivir, still tidal some 50 miles inland, and up which Columbus once sailed in triumph following his discovery of the New World, still brings great ships to the city’s port, and divides Seville from Triana, the pleasant district on the opposite shore.

Spend today relaxing and perhaps exploring Antequera. A settlement since prehistoric times, and boasting a great Moorish fortress known as "the heart of Andalucia", the town is overlooked by La Peña de Los Enamorados (Lovers' Leap) a limestone crag shrouded in local legend.

Many, however, will want join today’s optional excursion across the plain to the great city of Cordoba. The elegant former Moorish and Roman capital of Spain is full of fascination. At its heart is the breath-taking Mezquita, the huge former mosque now owned and occupied by the city's Catholic cathedral. This immense building retains much of the austere grandeur reflecting Cordoba’s historic position as the greatest Moorish city in Europe. Surrounding the Mezquita, the narrow lanes and corridors of the ancient Juderia evoke a sense that nothing has changed for a thousand years.

After your guided tour of the Mezquita, you’ll have the chance to explore the city under your own steam before returning to Antequera in the evening.

Today’s included excursion is a scenic wonder. Travel across the Andalusian Plain, through a countryside dotted with villages of whitewashed houses, to the stunning town of Ronda, in the heart of the Andalusian hills. Set above the dramatic El Tajo gorge, which cuts a swathe through the Sierra, this once Moorish citadel is a delight, with a maze of narrow streets, some fine Renaissance houses, its historic bullring and – across the Puente Nuevo bridge which spans the gorge – a fascinating Roman-style baths.

Board the coach, this morning, for the day’s unforgettable included excursion, journeying north through the foothills of the Alpujarras to the great city of Granada. Set majestically atop three hills, which rise steeply from the Andalusian Plain, this former Moorish capital, with its views to the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, is one of Spain’s greatest treasures.

Begin your time here with a sightseeing tour of the city, culminating with a visit to the gardens of the awe-inspiring Alhambra, the beautiful park and walled settlement crowned by one of the world’s finest Moorish palaces. Discover the ancient Alcazaba citadel and the Generalife, a royal retreat in the heart of the complex, as well as some of Europe's most beautiful formal gardens, each new treasure reflecting the glories of a great empire. This evening, you’ll return to Antequera after a thoroughly absorbing day.

Enjoy today, the final day of your tour, at leisure.

Bid adios to Andalucia, today, returning to Malaga to catch your flight home, after a memorable few days in a wonderful part of the world.